“Giving thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess. 5:18
Praise the Lord! November is over! This has been the longest month for me. The surgery went well,
without many problems. The issues came when I got home. You would think that having weeks of doing
nothing with no responsibilities would be a dream. But it didn’t take long to realize, this is NOT fun.
Day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, time just seemed to drag along at such a slow rate.
The best word I could come up with about how I was feeling about the recovery thing is…annoyed.
Everything annoyed me. Having to get up off the chair annoyed me, getting out of bed annoyed me,
looking out the window annoyed me, but most of all, not having a purpose for my days (except
healing) really annoyed me.
But somewhere in the middle of all the annoyance, I began to realize quite a few things. One reason for
the struggle was because I was learning dependence. I am used to doing everything myself, and now I
have to rely on others (mostly Stephanie) to do the simplest tasks.
I also learned that there are times I need rest (maybe just not a month’s worth). Being still has forced me
to live in prayer. Prayer is becoming less of something I do and becoming more something I live in. I
found myself simply have long talks with God with little formality or religious overtones. He was
simply there with me, and I talked with Him as I would anyone else.
Another thing I learned was how much I love and care for you. You have shown us so much support
during this time. One of the fears we had going into this was that we would feel disconnected from you
and all that was going on in your lives. But your calls, prayers, food, visits, and gifts helped to be
connected even when we weren’t able to be there physically. We felt loved and cared for by you and there is no way to adequately express our thanks. But in this season of thanksgiving and gift giving, you are one of the greatest gifts God has given us.
Following Him,
Jeff
From Pastor Matt
In November, the Youth Group, had opportunities to grow in their relationship with Jesus and each other. Wednesday nights we spent time playing a few games and opening God’s Word to discuss living in humility and being thankful in everything. Awsom was a great time for the girls that went. They worshipped, learned, and laughed together. Lighthouse this month was a little low in number, but the students and adults that were present enjoyed time together eating, talking about listening to God in faith, and playing games (Go Kangaroos!).
Mission Kids had a good month of learning about sharing our faith. The kids learned about being on a mission sharing the good news of Jesus to everyone and everywhere. The kids have been great with their willingness to come and learn.
As stated earlier, December brings a lot of extra out of the normal activities. We will be going Christmas caroling and having cookies on the 6th starting at 6:00pm. We invite all to join us in this fun time of sharing in spreading God’s love in the community and then a time of refreshments afterwards. Our Holiday Meal will take place on the 13th at 6:00pm. Mission Kids will also have a special little party towards the end of the meal. Finally, the Youth Group with have its Christmas Extravaganza on the 20th at 6:00pm. It will be a time of celebration, craziness, chaos, and floundering.
Thank you for your prayers and support. I pray you see the Lord’s love and provision during this Christmas season.
Pastor Matt